You can learn about the tissues in the human body in the context of aging on this page.
Bone
Bone tissue serves as the primary structural component of our bodies. It protects our delicate inner organs, plays a key role in whole body calcium, phosphorus, and acid-base homeostasis, and allows movement to occur by giving our muscles attachment points. Additionally, the bone marrow housed in long bones continuously supplies our bodies with blood cells.
Read More
Read More
Cartilage
Cartilage tissue is found in various places throughout the human body, including the ears, the nose, between the ribs, and the trachea. While trauma can compromise cartilage in each of these locations, most cartilage problems occur at the ends of our long bones. This cartilage, known as articular cartilage, acts as both a lubricant and shock absorber for our joints. The forces in our joints can be quite high, and without articular cartilage, our bones would rub together and wear down rapidly.
Read More
Read More
Fat
While many people want to be rid of most of their fat tissue, it actually plays an important role in the human body. Its primary function is to efficiently store energy for later use so that we don’t need to constantly eat in order to go about our lives. It can also serve as a cushion against impact and insulate us from the cold, and recent research shows that it plays an extensive role in our various metabolic and endocrine (hormonal) functions. This role is still being explored.
Read More
Read More
Teeth
Our teeth are some of the most specialized tissues in our bodies. They exist to cut and crush and are designed exceptionally well for that task. Our sharper front teeth provide the cutting power, while our flatter molars allow us to grind our food so it can be more easily digested.
Teeth are highly organized structures that consist of an extremely hard outer layer of enamel and an adjacent inner layer of softer (but still very hard) dentin. The deepest portion of teeth contains the dental pul...
Read More
Read More
Vasculature
Vasculature can be found in nearly all tissues throughout our bodies. It carries our blood, delivers nutrients to our cells, and carries away waste. It consists of the highways and roads by which our cells travel, including oxygen-carrying blood cells and immune cells. The blood also allows the body to communicate with itself. While not as fast as a signal sent by a nerve, hormones and other factors in the blood have the advantage of spreading throughout the entire system.
Read More
Read More